Two classic Hillyard  yachts – one of them Arthur Ransome’s Nancy Blackett  – will be taking part* in this year’s Round the Island Race, an annual race that circumnavigates the Isle of Wight.

Nancy Blackett, more famous as the Goblin in Ransome’s book “We Didn’t Mean to Go to Sea,” is a 28ft 6in transom-sterned 7-tonner, built in 1931, and now preserved by the Nancy Blackett Trust.

Billy Blue, built in 1932, is a 29ft 6in canoe-sterned  9-tonner, is owned by a private syndicate.

Both boats are of a similar age and size and will be raising funds for charity. They will be happy to complete the 50-mile course without being timed-out.

This year’s Round the Island Race is on 19th June, with an early start time of 5am. JP Morgan Asset Management announced at the Boat Show that it will be continuing to sponsor the race until 2012. This year’s race will feature live GPS tracking facilities via suitably-equipped mobile phones or laptops, an online photo gallery and a free water-taxi service at Cowes.

*Subject to favourable weather and sea conditions
The original version of this article was published by Classic Boat magazine. Republished with permission.